Paddock

ABSTRACT

An improved paddock for conditioning of horses and comprising a plurality of anchor sleeves positioned at predetermined spacing, removable posts for insertion in these anchor sleeves and removable to other anchor sleeves to relocate the paddock, an elastic plastic stringers connecting the posts and defining the outline of the paddock.

United States Patent Kirchhoff, Jr.

[54] PADDOCK [72] lnventor: Christian 11. Kirchhoff, Jr., P.O. Box 286,

Freehold, NJ. 07728 [22] Filed: July 15, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 841,942

[52] US. Cl. ..256/25, 256/65 [51] Int. Cl ..E04h 17/18 [58] Field ofSearch ..256/24, 25, 26, 37, 38, 47; 119/20; 52/298 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 126,417 5/ 1872 Sellers et a1 ..256/37 680,438 8/1901 Pierce 1,240,959 9/1917 Dross et a1...

1,991,087 2/1935 Falcon ..52/298X [45] Feb. 22, 1972 2,152,816 4/1939 Olson ..256/47 X 2,263,649 11/1941 Sawyer 2,465,936 3/1949 Schultz 2,675,197 4/1954 l-lospers ..49/9 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 400,5 29 4/ l 966 Switzerland ..256/ 59 Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Attorney-Jackson, Jackson, and Chovanes ABSTRACT An improved paddock for conditioning of horses and comprising a plurality of anchor sleeves positioned at predetermined spacing, removable posts for insertion in these anchor sleeves and removable to other anchor sleeves to relocate the paddock, an elastic plastic stringers connecting the posts and defining the outline of the paddock,

3 Claims, 11 Drawlng Figures PATENTEUFEBZZ I372 3.643.923

sum 1 OF 2 lNVE TOR ATTORNEYS PAIENTEDFEB22 m2 SHEET 2 [IF 2 ///fl// /m/// PADDOCK DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The present invention relates to paddocks for conditioning domestic animals such as horses, including exercise, recreation, and feeding. v

In the conditioning of horses, especially show horses and race horses, it is important to provide a plurality of paddocks of at least 40 yards length and width, the number of paddocks being adequate to shift a horse from one to another as soon as the grass ceases to be fresh and sufficient. This requires at least one paddock that is in use, one reserve paddock, and in some conditions of weather there may be a need for additional reserve paddocks. Adequate fencing of these paddocks is expensive because suitable hardwoods are not always available, and it requires maintenance since wooden fencing deteriorates and is likely to be damaged by horses.

Furthermore when a horse charges or rubs against the stringers of a wooden board fence or against an ordinary wooden post there is always a possibility of injuring the horse. It should be remembered that paddocks are usually used to accommodate stable horses, and when a horse is released from the stable to enter a paddock he may be rambunctious and run against the fence.

A major purpose of the present invention is to provide more paddock locations which are completely equipped with anchor sleeves properly spaced for insertion of the posts, and to transfer the fence including the posts and stringers from one set of anchor sleeves to another as required by the condition of the grass. There is no need to maintain a fence at paddock locations which are not currently in use.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide paddock fencing which has much more resistance against deterioration from the elements and against damage by the horses.

A further purpose is to provide stringers for a paddock which have a great resilience and strength, so that if a horse charges the fence or pushes against it the stringers will yield without breaking and will be much less likely to injure the horse.

A further purpose is to provide removal of stringers and posts for washing and repainting.

A further purpose is to use stringers of rectangular cross section formed of elastic plastic rope such as nylon, which has some stiffness and great resilience.

A further purpose is to engage the stringers to one another at the post by hooks and eyes within the post so that fastenings of stringers will not be exposed at a place where they could be a hazard to the horses.

A further purpose is to tie the post to the anchor sleeve so that the post cannot be pulled out of the ground by a horse who lifts a stringer.

A further purpose is to provide posts and stringers of synthetic plastic which can be cleaned by washing.

A further purpose is to provide a paddock of synthetic plastic which in appearance resembles familiar paddocks made of wooden fencing so as not to create an unfamiliar atmosphere for horses.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate one only of the numerous embodiments in which the invention may appear, selecting the form shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

FIG. I is a diagrammatic perspective of a paddock of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of a post and anchor sleeve combination in the position it would occupy with respect to the ground.

FIG. 3 is a section of FIG. 2 on line 33.

FIG. 4 is a section of FIG. 2 on line 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary axial vertical section of the anchor sleeve of the invention including a cover and omitting the post.

FIG. 6 is a plan section on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a post showing the securing of the ends of the stringer together in the stringer channel of a post, illustrating the post brackets utilized for securing the stringers.

FIG. 8 is a section through a stringer on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation of a post bracket.

FIG. 10 is a rear elevation of the post bracket of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a top view of a post bracket.

As best seen in FIG. 1, the paddock of the invention comprises anchor sleeves 20 set in the ground at the proper spacing, posts 21 secured in the anchor sleeves, and stringers 22, extending from one post to the other. It will be evident that wherever auxiliary paddocks are located there will be anchor sleeves set in the ground covered with covers 23 as best seen in FIG. 5.

While the anchor sleeves may be made from any suitable material, from the standpoint of corrosion protection and strength, I prefer to produce them from a plastic, preferably polyethylene or polypropylene. The post can if desired be made of a material such as a plastic, for example polyethylene, polypropylene, or nylon, but as a matter of economy where desired they can be made of wood, covered with an adherent layer of one of these plastics, or any other.

The stringers to be discussed are preferably made of filaments of nylon rope. These have great strength and great ability to stretch and return to the original dimension.

Thus the stringers if properly stretched are capable of remaining tight not withstanding change in weather conditions.

The anchor sleeve 20 comprises a tubular upper portion 24 which extends for a suitable distance below the ground level, suitably to the order of two feet. At the bottom the sleeve integrally connects to an outer flange 25 which connects at the bottom to a series of radially and vertically extending fins 26. It will be evident that when the anchor sleeve is properly set in the ground and tamped it cannot turn over because of the flange 25, it cannot rotate because of fins 26.

At the bottom of the sleeve portion of the anchor sleeve there is provided a boss 27 extending upwardly inside the sleeve portion 24, of smaller diameter than the sleeve portion 24, and having suitable external interrupted threads 28 on its outer circumference.

To protect against the accumulation of water in the anchor sleeve, the top of the boss 27 is dished at 30 and has a center drain hole 31.

It will be evident that the post can be attached or released without turning it more than a fraction of a revolution.

At the top of the anchor sleeve there is a downwardly tapering flange projection 32.

The cap 23 has a surrounding flange 33 which is flexible, consisting, for example, of polyethylene and has below the level of the outermost point of the inner flange projection 32 an inwardly projecting snap acting locking ring 34. If preferred, any other suitable type of cap can be used.

The bottom of fence post 21 has a straight circular shank 35 which closely fits the inside of the sleeve 24 of anchor sleeve 20, and at the very bottom of the post there is an upwardly annular central recess 36 which conforms to the shape of the outside of the boss 27 and which has female interrupted threads 37 which interthread with the threads 28 on the boss of the anchor sleeve.

At suitable distances above the ground and all in the same plane there are provided in the post stringer channels 38 through which the stringers extend from side to side at all the intermediate posts, and in which the stringers are attached at the terminal posts. The stringers will suitably be several times as high as they are thick, shaped like a fence board. Each of the stringers 22 consists suitably of multifilament elastic plastic rope, such as nylon, has properly secured at its end a rectangular buckle 40 around which is anchored a vertically movable snap 41 which is capable of engaging an eye 42, which is secured to one of a pair of post brackets 43 extending around the outside of the post in segmental shape. The post bracket has a suitable slot 44 in line with stringer channel to insert the opposite stringer. The post bracket can be made of one of the plastics mentioned or of metal.

In order to engage the stringers at each terminal post, it is desirable to pull one stringer through the stringer slot of the one post bracket and through the channel 38 as permitted by the stretch of the nylon and engage its snap 41 with the eye 42 of the other post bracket beyond the post and then allow it to return under the pull of the elastic plastic stringer so that the snap and the eye are hidden in the stringer channel by the walls of the post. Then the opposite stringer is threaded through the slot in the other terminal post bracket and the stringer channel, and then engaged to the eye 42 of the one terminal post bracket on the other side of the post and allowed to pull back so as to bury its snap in the stringer channel of the post. At the terminal posts adjoining the gate 45 there will be only one post bracket to fasten one stringer for each channel.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

1 claim:

1. In a paddock, a plurality of at least three anchor sleeves for setting in the ground, each of the anchor sleeves having a tubular sleeve portion adapted to extend vertically upward in the ground, an outwardly extending earth-engaging flange beyond the sleeve portion at the end which is adapted to anchor the lower end thereof in the ground, a plurality of radial fins adapted to extend vertically in the ground and an externally threaded boss adapted to upwardly extend in the ground at the lower end of the sleeve portion and within the sleeve portion, a plurality of at least three posts having circular lower ends adapted to fit in the anchor sleeves and near their lower ends having internal threaded recesses whose threads engage with the threads on the anchor sleeves and at least one of the posts having a plurality of horizontally extending stringer channels whose cross section is substantially greater in the vertical direction than across, stretchable stringers adapted to extend through the stringer channels of the posts, each stretchable stringer having a cross section having a substantially greater vertical extent than thickness, and separate stringer-holding members on at least one of the posts and located respectively near opposite ends of the channels, each such member having both means for holding a stringer which extends out from the far end of the channel relative to that member and an opening within the member through which a stringer which extends out from the near end of the channel relative to that member extends in to interconnect with the holding member which is near the opposite end of the channel, the construction of, and interrelation between, holding members at opposite ends of the same channel and stringers held thereby being such that if the holding members were free to move in the direction dictated by any sufficient tendency toward contraction in their respective stringers, the respective holding members and stringers would reach a position in which they formed in effect a joint between the stringers which would hold stringers from coming away from each other.

2. In a paddock according to claim 1, the particular structure in which the stringers are of nylon and the stringer-holding members each comprise a strip with a vertical closedended slot through which passes the stringer extending out from that members side of the channel.

3. In a paddock according to claim 2, the particular structure in which each strip is a segmental strip conforming to the corresponding surface of the post and having its longest direction in the vertical direction, and each strip has a hookandeye connection with the stringer which hook-and-eye connection extends interiorly into the channel from the strip and the eye is attached to the interior face of the strip, a buckle is secured to the end of the stringer and has a vertical 

1. In a paddock, a plurality of at least three anchor sleeves for setting in the ground, each of the anchor sleeves having a tubular sleeve portion adapted to extend vertically upward in the ground, an outwardly extending earth-engaging flange beyond the sleeve portion at the end which is adapted to anchor the lower end thereof in the ground, a plurality of radial fins adapted to extend vertically in the ground and an externally threaded boss adapted to upwardly extend in the ground at the lower end of the sleeve portion and within the sleeve portion, a plurality of at least three posts having circular lower ends adapted to fit in the anchor sleeves and near their lower ends having internal threaded recesses whose threads engage with the threads on the anchor sleeves and at least one of the posts having a plurality of horizontally extending stringer channels whose cross section is substantially greater in the vertical direction than across, stretchable stringers adapted to extend through the stringer channels of the posts, each stretchable stringer having a cross section having a substantially greater vertical extent than thickness, and separate stringer-holding members on at least one of the posts and located respectively near opposite ends of the channels, each such member having both means for holding a stringer which extends out from the far end of the channel relative to that member and an opening within the member through which a stringer which extends out from the near end of the channel relative to that member extends in to interconnect with the holding member which is near the opposite end of the channel, the construction of, and interrelation between, holDing members at opposite ends of the same channel and stringers held thereby being such that if the holding members were free to move in the direction dictated by any sufficient tendency toward contraction in their respective stringers, the respective holding members and stringers would reach a position in which they formed in effect a joint between the stringers which would hold stringers from coming away from each other.
 2. In a paddock according to claim 1, the particular structure in which the stringers are of nylon and the stringer-holding members each comprise a strip with a vertical closed-ended slot through which passes the stringer extending out from that member''s side of the channel.
 3. In a paddock according to claim 2, the particular structure in which each strip is a segmental strip conforming to the corresponding surface of the post and having its longest direction in the vertical direction, and each strip has a hook-and-eye connection with the stringer which hook-and-eye connection extends interiorly into the channel from the strip and the eye is attached to the interior face of the strip, a buckle is secured to the end of the stringer and has a vertical member secured at both ends thereto, and a hook member is secured to that vertical member in vertically movable fashion. 